Combined efforts needed to effectively tackle violence against women and girls – Activist

Dec 07, 2020 News

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…United Nations (UN) Sixteen Days of Activism

Kaieteur News – With seventeen women dead at the hands of their intimate partners this year, domestic violence support initiatives have been raising awareness about the need for improved mechanisms to help vulnerable groups, particularly women and children who may find themselves in these situations.
Against the backdrop of the observance of the United Nations (UN) initiative Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, local survivor and activist, Bibi Ahmad, speaking to Kaieteur News, recently pointed to a need for a combination of services particularly, safe houses and community support initiatives to bolster the fight against the social scourge.
Ahmad, who is a representative for The Caribbean Voice (TCV) – a non- government organisation (NGO) — providing support for vulnerable groups, noted however, that in her view, having the facilities to accommodate families fleeing domestic violence situations is solving just one part of the problem,.

“In my opinion, there should be so much more than just safe houses. I am talking about a holistic approach to address the needs of the women coming out of these situations. Speaking from experience, I know that most of these women are afraid to leave their abusers because they are, in most cases, dependent on their partners.
With little to no income, they will need financial sustenance, in addition to a safe place to stay. So, it so much work to do, to efficiently address the situation,” she explained.
In this regard, Ahmad said that the Government and other local stakeholders can take examples from countries that have crafted successful programmes to address domestic/ gender-based violence.
“There are several examples out there – in New Zealand for instance, it’s not the abused party that has to seek shelter, the law provides for the abuser to leave the home. For this to happen in Guyana, there will need to be some changes with the law and systems,” added the activist.
Her comments follow a research report by the UNDP on Guyana’s response to intimate partner violence.
The report pointed out that the experiences of survivors in shelters nationally indicated that, when shelters offered a combination of services (such as those currently offered at Help and Shelter), survivors were satisfied with the care.
According to the report, at present Help and Shelter, Red Thread and Food for the Poor were spoken about repeatedly by survivors and service workers as being reliable resources women could access to receive counselling, advocacy support, food, clothing and household items.
The study noted that these NGOs also access services i.e. police, courts, hospitals in a number of ways that improve survivors’ experiences and hold social services accountable.
The document indicated that “…when community groups were asked about potential awareness initiatives or known services where they could receive help, Help and Shelter and Red Thread were the most often mentioned. These services are well respected by the larger organizations and, when they are involved in cases, women feel a heightened sense of confidence that their needs are being addressed.”
The document stated further, that the Government of Guyana has also recognized that ensuring access to temporary housing was important for the safety of survivors.
However, while additional shelters were one of the most requested services across all regions, the study indicated that “a shelter should be considered more than just housing, as survivors require assistance to transition back into the community.”
In this regard, Help and Shelter, via its main office assists survivors with a number of added services, including counselling.
Additionally, it was pointed out that many survivors leave relationships with children; as a result, the future care of children is a fundamental concern.
“The current shelter service cannot accommodate boy children over a particular age, as the shelter services women. This has resulted in some survivors being separated from their children. A concerted effort is required to keep mothers with their children. This is one of the most significant issues for survivors whose families are already experiencing intense trauma,” the report added.
Just recently, Minister of Human Services and Social Protection, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, launched the ‘Enough with the Violence’ campaign to coincide with the UN’s initiative Sixteen Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
She noted that “Fear of societal judgment, insecurities about children and finances, family pressure and manipulation keep domestic violence situation from being exposed and addressed.”
Further, the Minister said that COVID-19 pandemic has kept many women in proximity to their abusers and reporting has become challenging.
Urging persons to join the activism, Minister Persaud stressed that the fight to end violence against women and girls is one of the longest and hardest challenges faced, not only by Guyana, but the entire world.
“Our stance together will create an umbrella of protection for legions of women. We must be the hope for children so that they will not have to live without the love of their mothers and we must be the conscience of a country that will not tolerate an iota of violence against women,” she said, adding: “Our campaign needs every one of you to implement the zero-tolerance policy for violence against women.”
The Minister further stated that acts of violence inflicted on women and girls are heinous crimes which are a pervasive breach of human rights and should be condemned by all.
“While we struggle to find the solution, women continue to cower in fear, tell doctors that they fell down the stairs to explain injuries from merciless beatings as lawyers and case workers should continue to plead with them to stay away from their perpetrators,” the Minister added.

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